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United Space Alliance

This article needs to be updated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(January 2015)

United Space Alliance (USA) is a spaceflight operations company. USA is a joint venture which was established in August 1995 as a Limited Liability Company (LLC), equally owned by Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas and, as of 2008[update] employed approximately 8,800 people in Texas, Florida, Alabama, and the Washington, D.C. area.[1]

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United Space Alliance's original logo featured the Space Shuttle orbiter, it was changed to the current logo in 2008.[2]

United Space Alliance was formed as a limited liability company as a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin in response to NASA's desire to consolidate many Space Shuttle program contracts to one prime contractor. USA and NASA signed the Space Flight Operations Contract in September 1996 to become the single prime contractor that NASA was seeking.[3] USA supported the contract for 10 years through September 2006. This led to USA and NASA agreeing on October 2, 2006 to the Space Program Operations Contract.[4]

Until 2011, USA's major business was the operation and processing of NASA's Space Shuttle fleet and International Space Station at Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center and John F. Kennedy Space Center. This work was defined by the Space Program Operations Contract (SPOC) between NASA and USA. The contract runs from October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2010, which was to be the end of Space Shuttle operations. The contract includes five one-year options that could extend the contract through Fiscal Year 2015. Efforts under the Space Program Operations Contract include work and support for mission design and planning; software development and integration; astronaut and flight controller training; system integration; flight operations; vehicle processing, launch and recovery; vehicle sustaining engineering; flight crew equipment processing; and Space Shuttle and International Space Station-related support to the Constellation Program. It is a cost reimbursement contract, with provisions for award and performance fees.[5]

With NASA's transition from the Space Shuttle to smaller service and support contracts, one of the new contracts is the Integrated Mission Operations Contract (IMOC) to provide flight operations support for the Constellation Program and International Space Station Program in Houston through September 30, 2011.[6] Also, USA has signed a subcontract with Alliant Techsystems for support of the Ares I launch vehicle.[7]

In November 2010, United Space Alliance was selected by NASA for consideration for potential contract awards for heavy lift launch vehicle system concepts, and propulsion technologies.[8]

As of September 30, 2014, USA no longer holds active contracts, and will not pursue future contracts. However, USA will continue to operate in an administrative business capacity to manage government contract close-out requirements. Close-out of government contracts historically takes 5–7 years.[9]